For centuries, people in sub-saharan West Africa have suffered hopeless lives with a disease known as Onchocerciasis, or River blindness, which causes unbearable itching, disfigurement, and debilitation. Victims often become blind by the time they reach their mid-30's and their life expectancies are reduced by 15 years.

This ancient scourge devastated entire communities and caused abandonment of some of the most fertile lands in western Africa. In 1974, the World Health Organization, UNDP, FAO and the World Bank, joined together with 11 countries to establish a control program.

Twenty years later, the Onchocerciasis Program has won the battle against the spread of this horrible, debilitating disease.